Congo Noire Pointe Republic
Congo-Brazzaville
COUNTRY DESCRIPTION: The Republic of Congo (Congo-Brazzaville) is a developing nation in central Africa. The official language is French. The largest cities are the capital, Brazzaville, on the Congo River, and Point Noire on the coast. Civil conflict in 1997 and again in 1998-99 damaged parts of the capital and large areas in the south of the country. The last rebel group still engaged in armed struggle signed a cease-fire accord with the government in March 2003. Facilities for tourism are very limited. Read the Department of State Background Notes on Congo (Brazzaville) at http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2825.htm for additional information. ... [Read More]
Congo (Brazzaville) (04/05)
The Congo's economy is based primarily on its petroleum sector, which is by far the country's major revenue earner. The Congolese oil sector is dominated by the French oil company TotalFinaElf. In second position is the Italian oil firm Agip. ChevronTexaco (in partnership with TotalFinaElf) is the primary American oil company active in petroleum exploration or production. Murphy Oil has signed a contract but has not begun exploration or production. Congo's oil production is expected to decline over the next 15 years with fields yielding less. However, based on an agreement with Angola signed in 2002 to jointly administer certain Congo-Cabinda border areas, Congo's production could rise if exploration is successful. Murphy Oil signed a Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) with Congo in 2003 for two deepwater off-shore permits. Congo hopes to offset declining production in other fields with these new PSAs. ... [Read More]
Congo, Republic of
A local FM radio station rebroadcast Radio France International, VOA, and the BBC. Radio and television broadcasts from the Democratic Republic of the Congo were received in Brazzaville. The private independent radio station, Radio Liberte, continued to broadcast as well as the new privately owned radio station DR-Radio. Local rebroadcasts of the Gabon-based Africa Number One also continued during the year. A Christian missionary group in Pointe Noire broadcast during daylight hours; it voluntarily provided its material to the Government prior to broadcast. Government broadcast media primarily focused their attention on the activities of government officials, but also provided news on other activities by international and local NGOs. During the year, the broadcasts included airing of alternative political views of some opposition members in talk show format, but overall opposition political parties did not have access to the governme ... [Read More]
Congo, Republic of
There were unconfirmed reports that the Republic of Congo was a country of destination; however, it was not a country of transit or origin. There were unconfirmed reports that minor relatives of West African immigrants from Benin and Togo could be victims of trafficking. There was no evidence of trafficking in men or women. Outside of the unconfirmed reports of "minors relatives" of West African immigrants, there were no other reports of trafficking in children. Children from West Africa worked as fishermen, shop workers, street sellers, or domestic servants. There were reports some were physically abused. There were reports of isolated cases of child prostitution, which according to international and local NGOs and others were not linked to trafficking or forced labor. UNICEF and the International Rescue Committee had programs to assist with feeding and sheltering DRC street children. In addition, there was no evidence that any of these street children were from the Republic of Congo ... [Read More]
US Department Of State Post Report
The city of Pointe-Noire, with over 500,000 people, is one of the best ports on the African west coast between Luanda, Angola, and Lagos, Nigeria. Almost all goods moving into and out of the Congo pass through Pointe-Noire. PopulationLast Updated: 6/13/2005 3:07 PM Over 3.3 million Congolese reside in over 133,538 square miles of land, an average density of less than 25 persons per square mile. Seventy percent of the population lives in Brazzaville, Pointe-Noire, Dolisie, and along the connecting rail line. Few people live in the northern sections, which are covered by savanna, swamp, and rain forest. ... [Read More]
TRAFFICKING IN CHILDREN: West and Central Africa
Pointe-Noire, Republic of CONGO ... Observatoire congolais des ... 23, rue Soumba-Noire ... [Read More]
Congo, Republic of
Most citizens obtained their news from the broadcast media, which effectively remained a government monopoly. Government-owned Radio Congo and Radio Brazzaville broadcast approximately 18 hours a day; government-owned Television Congo broadcasts for fewer hours. Radio France Internationale was rebroadcast by a local FM station, Voice of America and British Broadcasting Corporation retransmissions were available, and radio and television broadcasts from neighboring Kinshasa, DRC, were received in Brazzaville. The private independent station, Radio Liberte, established by President Sassou-Nguesso's forces during the 1997 civil war, continued to broadcast. Local rebroadcasts of the Gabon-based Africa Number One also continued during the year. A Christian missionary group in Pointe Noire received permission to broadcast during daylight hours; it voluntarily provides its broadcast material to the Government prior to broadcast. The news coverage and the editorial lines of the state-owned med ... [Read More]
Congo, Republic of
The Republic of Congo1 is ruled by a government in which most of the power was vested directly in the President. Denis Sassou-Nguesso was elected President by a large majority of voters in March, and in May and June legislative elections were held for the Senate and the House of Delegates in most jurisdictions. Both the presidential and legislative elections were determined to be generally free and fair and "not to contradict the will of the people" by independent monitors; however, there were some flaws and irregularities in the administration of the elections, which caused lingering credibility issues for some persons in the international community and certain nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). The Government took office in August, and the legislature began work in October. Because of security problems, elections in some jurisdictions in the Pool region had not yet been held. Antigovernment Nsiloulou Ninja militia ... [Read More]
Congo, Republic of the
The Republic of the Congo (1) continued to be ruled by a transitional government that came to power by force of arms in October 1997. President Denis Sassou-Nguesso wields executive power without meaningful legislative or judicial constraints. Forces supporting Sassou-Nguesso, a northerner, defeated those of the democratically elected former president Pascal Lissouba, a southerner, with the help of Angolan troops in 1997. Sassou-Nguesso's principal base of political support lay in the sparsely populated northern region of the country. Renewed civil conflict broke out in August 1998 and continued throughout the south until the end of 1999 between forces supporting the Government, which included Angolan allies, Rwandan Hutu militiamen, and irregular fighters of Chadian and Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) nationality, and southern rebel groups, which included Cocoye militiamen operating in the Bouenza, Niari, and Lekoumou regions, and Ninja and Nsiloulou mil ... [Read More]
Tips for Travelers to Sub Saharan Africa
March 2001 Foreword Your trip to Africa will be an adventure off the beaten path. Conditions and customs in sub-Saharan Africa can contrast sharply with those in the United States. These pages contain advice to help you avoid inconvenience and difficulties. Take our advice seriously but don’t let it keep you at home. Most Americans have unforgettable experiences in Africa. We are often welcomed and helped by Africans who are happy to share not just their scenery, but their culture and tradition ... [Read More]
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